The Petrified Forest National Park is a United States national park in Navajo and Apache counties in northeastern Arizona. It is considered one of the largest concentrations of petrified trees in the world. The tree trunks in the forest have fossilized as petrified wood and is noted for its agates and late Triassic fossils.

A Spanish explorer is rumored to have named the area “El Desierto Pintado” (The Painted Desert) because the hills looked like they were painted with the colors of the sunset.

The trees in the petrified forest look like someone sawed the logs apart but are actually cracked over a period of time. We were very fortunate to hike throughout the park. The climate changed several times during our visit at the National park. At the beginning of the exploration there was heavy rains, winds and monsoon warnings.

In the middle of the trip is was hot but very clear. It was a perfect opportunity to see all the colors of the Petrified Trees.

Towards the final hour of our hike we were alone in complete silence with the petrified forest and we were able to capture the beauty of the forest and a close and personal view of a colorful collared lizard which makes the Petrified Forest their home. It was a surreal experience for a city girl like me that loves trees.

One of the things I couldn’t help but wonder is how the Petrified Forest was formed. According to the Petrified National Park the forest dates back to 218 million years ago. There was a large river system with coniferous trees, tree ferns, and some gingkoes trees along the waterways. As the trees died naturally, some floated downstream to form log jams.

The mineral silica, from volcanic ash, in stages of crystallization replaced most of the organic wood to form petrified trees. The various “forests” are those log jams which form the individual parks. Today some people use petrified wood as a semi-precious gem. However, it is against the law to remove petrified trees from the National park.

Our Latino Heritage road trip continued towards the Southwest to Coolidge, Arizona. We had the opportunity to obtain a guided tour of the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument with the National Park Service Superintendent, Karl Cordova. His staff is dedicated to conserving, preserving, and providing an atmosphere for recreation at the Casa Grande Ruins. They also reach out to the local community and visit local schools.

The Casa Grande Monument is one of the largest prehistoric structures ever built in North America. It is the first prehistoric and cultural site in the United States. The four story structure was built around 1300 and is located about an hour drive from Phoenix, AZ and Tuscon, AZ. The protected area spans about 472.5 acres. It’s purpose remains a mystery.

The area is also home to the largest cactus in the United States, the Saguaro cactus. A mature Saguaro cactus is about 40-50 feet tall, 125 years old and weighs about 6 tons. I felt so small next to the Saguaro cactus. The cactus was a source of food and the wood was used to create tools.

As I walked towards the structure it’s very hard to imagine that a structure made out of sand, calcium carbonate & clay is still standing after over 650 years. We learned that the area also didn’t have any water which must have made it a challenge to obtain and transport water during the period. The ancient Sonoran people did all their building without the basic tools similar to what we use today. Their basic tools were their hands, a digging stick and a planting stick. It’s amazing how much they accomplished. It’s obvious that the Sonoran desert people were very resourceful and innovative.

In speaking with the Superindendent, he advised that Archeologists discovered evidence that the ancient Sonoran Desert people who built the Casa Grande also developed wide-scale irrigation farming and extensive trade connections which lasted over a thousand years until about 1450 C.E.

The next time you’re near Tucson or Phoenix, Arizona consider going to the Casa Grande and explore the history. It will be an educational opportunity for the entire family. To discover our shared heritage at National Park Services find out what is happening in your local community or order a map of National Park Museums in the Southwest and other regions at http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/orderform.htm and plan your next roadtrip.

The #LatinoHeritage roadtrip celebrates the contributions of American Latinos throughout the national park and historic places across the country. For additional information regarding the Casa Grande Ruins, please visit http://www.nps.gov/cagr. For additional information regarding the American Latino Heritage programs, check www.alhf.org and Support the American Latino Heritage Fund. For live tweets, please follow the conversation on Twitter by checking the #LatinoHeritage hashtag on Twitter.

Question: Did you know that the National Park Service is honored to connect with people in local communities? Have you visited any local National Parks are near your community? What is your favorite local National Park to visit?